Dreaming of Freedom
by Dreamer of Darkness
Summary: Naruto wants to be free. When his dream is taken away he decides to show Konoha the true Naruto Uzumaki. Watch as he saves Konoha or aids in its destruction. Better Summary inside.
1. No More Secrets

**Title: **Dreaming of Freedom

**Chapter 1:** No More Secrets-Papa Roach

**Genre: **General/Angst

**Warnings: **Mild Sakura and Kakashi bashing, major Sasuke bashing, slight language, slight violence, strong, smart Naruto, nice, fem Kyuubi,

**Rating:** T

**Pairings: **None

**Summary: **All Naruto wants is freedom. It's his reason for becoming a shinobi. But when his dream is destroyed he decides to drop his mask and show Konoha the true Uzumaki Naruto. The entire time Sound and Akatsuki are moving closer and closer. Will Naruto put aside his own problems and help save Konoha or stand by as they're destroyed?

**1) First off I would like to say that my summaries suck. Please read about three chapters before you decide whether it's good or not. **

**2) Next I would like to say that although there will be Sakura and Kakashi bashing it won't be without reason or too extreme. The Sasuke bashing will be extreme but there's a valid reason for Naruto's hatred. **

**3) Naruto will be a bit of a Mary Sue when it comes to power but I intend to focus more on how he changes and how his fights affect him than the fights themselves. It's better like this anyway, my fight scenes are horrible. Besides, there's a reason for his strength.**

**4) This story might seem like just a collection of popular plot ideas but I'll do my best to keep it original. It follows the series so there will be spoilers. **

**5) If you have any questions or want to tell me what you think please leave a review, and NO FLAMES! Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you have to be rude.**

**6) Finally, each chapter will be named after a song that I think captures the feel of the chapter but this is not meant to be a song fic. **

**I don't own the awesomeness that is Naruto or Papa Roach. I don't even own any merchandise. **

"asdfjkl;"is talking

'asdfjkl;'is thinking

"**asdfjkl;**"is Kyuubi/Inner Sakura talking

"_asdfjkl;_" is Naruto/Sakura speaking in his/her mind.

_**00000000**_ means a scene change or time skip

_**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

The Village Hidden in the Leaves is one of the strongest shinobi villages in existence. Despite its power, or perhaps because of it, it is also one of the most peaceful. Its people treat each other like family. Even those who have been orphaned can find love within the village. Except for one small boy.

This particular boy is hated by the entire population of Konoha. One would probably assume he had done something horrible to deserve such anger, but the truth is this child has no control over what makes him different. In fact he doesn't even know why their eyes become cold every time they look at him. This is because no one in the village will tell him.

Seven years ago, Konoha was attacked by a nine-tailed demon fox known as the Kyuubi. The Leaf shinobi fought with all their strength, but it was to no avail. Many lives were lost and many more would have been lost if the village, the Yondaime, hadn't sacrificed himself. He gave his soul to seal the demon inside a newborn baby.

his infant was to be seen as a hero for containing the demon within his tiny body. Unfortunately, the villagers didn't understand this. Instead they saw him as the monster that slaughtered their loved ones and took the life of their beloved Hokage. Because of this the 3rd Hokage passed a law that sentenced anyone who spoke of the Kyuubi to death.

Despite this the villagers managed to make his life a living hell. The children saw how their parents treated him and did the same without knowing why. He is alone, hated by everyone around him except one person. However, his life is about to change for better or worse.

This child's name is Uzumaki Naruto.

_**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

"Hey, Old Man! What's this book about?" A young blonde boy stood by the bookshelf of the Hokage's office, holding up a bright orange book he had found hidden behind the others. Sarutobi looked up only to panic when he realized what book Naruto was about to start reading. He quickly ran over and grabbed the novel out of Naruto's hands.

"You shouldn't be reading that, Naruto."

"Why not?"

"It's advanced shinobi techniques. You wouldn't understand it anyway." He silently prayed that Naruto would buy his lie. The blond stared curiously at him until he finally turned back to the bookcase to pick another novel. Inwardly Sandaime sighed in relief. He loved Naruto like a grandson but sometimes the child was too much for one person to handle. The seven-year-old had burst through his door several hours ago asking if he could stay in the office for little while. Normally, Sandaime would say that he had too much work to get done, but today was the anniversary of the Kyuubi's defeat and he realized that Naruto wasn't safe anywhere else. He probably would've been too worried about Naruto to get any work done anyway.

So he had allowed Naruto in on the condition that he entertain himself quietly. Since then the boy had been reading book after book off his shelf. The Hokage was sometimes amazed by how much Naruto read. And most of the time it was books meant for adults or at least teenagers. The fact that he rarely asked for help only further proved that he was beyond the normal level.

"Naruto, It's about time for you to go home and to bed. You have school tomorrow. "

Naruto looked up at him pleadingly. "Can't I stay here? It's not like we're going to do anything in class anyway. We never do anything but review after vacations and I already know the lessons. I'll just end up sleeping through class."

"According to your teachers you're failing all your classes."

"It's because they don't like me. They get me in trouble for no reason. I get punished for doing things that the others do all the time and they give me harder work."

The elderly shinobi sighed. He wanted to let Naruto stay but he had a lot of work to do. As for the accusations against his teachers, Sarutobi decided he would have to have a little _talk_ with them.

"Then it's even more important you don't miss a class. They might use it as an excuse to expel you. "

The seven-year-old thought about this for a minute before nodding slowly. He walked across the room and was about to replace the book when Sandaime stopped him.

"Why don't you keep it? All you have to do is promise that you'll go straight home and to bed. Consider it a birthday present."

Naruto's eyes lit up and he smiled for the first time in a few months. It was more from the thought of receiving a present than what the present actually was. He hugged the old man who merely chuckled and pushed Naruto away. He turned him to the door and pushed him towards it gently. Naruto took the hint and ran out of the office as fast as he could, the book clutched tightly to his chest.

**_00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000_**

Naruto was walking down the streets of Konoha while reading his book he was so engrossed in it he didn't notice when three men moved in front of him. He bumped into them and fell down , dropping his book in the process. He looked up fearfully. He had been in situation like this before and knew they would most likely beat him. All he could hope for was that it wouldn't be too bad this time.

" well , what do we have here? It looks like we've caught ourselves a demon. What should we do with it?" the biggest spoke in a cold, evil tone. He was obviously their leader.

'Maybe we should kill it." the second one wasn't as scary as the first one. His voice didn't send chills down Naruto's spine the way the first one's did.

They slowly advanced on him. He got up and tried to run but they grabbed him by the back of his collar and threw him in an alley. Then it began.

Naruto had long ago realized that the best thing to do was to focus on something else. This made it all blur together until he wasn't sure what they were doing to him. He just knew that his body hurt everywhere.

He was dimly aware of more villagers arriving, most with blades.

'oh, crap.'

And then everything went black.


	2. No More Secrets pt 2

**Title: **Dreaming of Freedom

**Chapter 2-**No More Secrets- Papa Roach Pt 2

**Genre: **General/Angst

**Warnings: **Mild Sakura and Kakashi bashing, major Sasuke bashing, slight language, slight violence, strong, smart Naruto, nice, fem Kyuubi,

**Rating:** T

**Pairings: ** None

**Summary: **All Naruto wants is freedom. It's his reason for becoming a shinobi. But when his dream is destroyed he decides to drop his mask and show Konoha the true Uzumaki Naruto. The entire time Sound and Akatsuki are moving closer and closer. Will Naruto put aside his own problems and help save Konoha or stand by as they're destroyed?

"asdfjkl;"is talking

'asdfjkl;'is thinking

"**asdfjkl;**"is Kyuubi/Inner Sakura talking

"_asdfjkl;_" is Naruto/Sakura speaking in his/her mind.

_**00000000**_ means a scene change or time skip

_****_

__Before he opened his eyes he realized his back was wet. He then noticed that his body didn't hurt although he'd just been attacked.

"Did I die? Maybe this is Heaven!" He opened his eyes slowly. "Definitely not."

He was in a sewer. Pipes ran in every direction along the walls. Some were normal, but a couple of them were glowing an eerie red. He followed them, hoping they would lead him somewhere where he could find out where he was. Eventually he came to a hallway with a red glow coming from an opening. He walked into the glow and came out in a room. At the opposite end were two large, gold gates with a paper reading "seal" in the middle.

Suddenly a pair of glowing red eyes appeared out of the darkness. He had been leaning forward to try to see into the darkness, but now he jumped back. He was thinking about whether or not he should run, but something about the eyes made him want to stay. They were scary at first, but now that he looked closer he could see that they were kind. There was no malice or evil in them. It was strange for anyone to look at him with eyes like these.

Something about the presence felt familiar, almost comforting. It was like it had always been there but he had not noticed it until now. Although his mind kept screaming that he should be afraid, his body moved closer until he could almost reach out and touch whatever it was.

"**I see you finally found your way here at last. It's about time, too. It gets boring in here with no one to talk to and nothing to do."**

"_Who are you and where are we?"_ His voice came out stronger than he expected.

"**I am the Kyuubi no Youkai, Queen of the Demonic Kitsunes."**

"_But… you're dead! The 4__th__ killed you! Wait. Does that mean…?" _ Naruto stopped in mid-sentence and stared at her for several seconds. Finally, he asked, "_Did you just say 'queen'? You mean to tell me that the all-powerful Kyuubi, the mighty demon who destroyed half of Konoha, and took the life of the yondaime, is a girl?"_

Kyuubi looked insulted. "**Why is it that all you humans always assume that when someone is strong, they have to be a man! It's not like girls are incapable of being strong."**

Naruto watched her for several minutes until he finally decided he'd been listening to her long enough.

"_I'm sorry to interrupt you, especially when you're on a roll, but ;you still haven't told me where we are."_

She pulled herself together and cleared her throat. "**We're in your mind. Whenever you fall unconscious, you'll come here. You can also come here by meditating or when you're sleeping."**

He took a minute to process this before asking, "Then what are you doing here?"

"**You know about the attack on the village and the yondaime's sacrifice, right?" **At his nod, she continued. "**What they didn't tell you was that he couldn't kill me. No human can."**

"_So he sealed you inside me._" A comprehending look came over his face. "_That's why they hate me and call me a demon. It's because of you. Because you had to attack the village! Why did you do it? Why did you have to kill all those people and ruin m y life!"_

He was standing with his feet spread apart and his hands balled into fists, breathing heavily. She gave him a few minutes to calm down before replying. When she did, her voice was full of regret and sorrow.

**"Kit, I'm sorry for all I've done to you and your village. I was blinded by rage when I attacked. I had returned to my den earlier to find my kit and mate both murdered. It looked like some humans had tried sealing them but they died in the process. I found some human bodies and saw the Konoha headbands. I attacked without thinking and because of that many lives were lost."**

"_So you just wanted revenge for your family? I guess I can understand that. I'd probably do the same thing."_

**"I know that I can't undo the damage I've caused, but I would still like to help you. If you want, I can train you. Even if you don't want to be trained you'll always have me to talk to if you want. I'm not the best of company, but I'm better than nothing.**

Naruto was looking at his feet right now, his eyes shaded by his bangs.

_"I'll have to think about your offer. I understand why you attacked, but I'm not sure if I can forgive you yet."_

"**Take your time, kit. This decision will change your life. For now you need to wake up. That old man is really worried about you."**

Naruto smiled slightly at the mention of the old man.

"_How long have I been out, Kyuubi?"_

**"I'd say about three days. They'll think you're in a coma if you don't show signs of life. You should be completely healed by now."]**

_"Thanks."  
_ **"No problem, kit."**

And once again he was thrown into darkness.

_****_

This time when he opened his eyes he was nearly blinded by light. He closed his eyes and reopened them cautiously. He sat up and began to remove the wires and needles. He was searching the room for his clothes when the door opened and Sarutobi walked in, followed by a nurse. The Sandaime looked up and smiled at him. The nurse looked less than thrilled.

"I'm glad to see you're o.k., Naruto. We were worried when you didn't wake up, even though you were healed."

It was all Naruto could do to control himself. This man was the reason for all of this. It was his fault that Naruto never knew about the Kyuubi. He lied to him for the past seven years and here he was acting like nothing had happened!

He managed to act like his normal calm, happy self as the nurse examined him. She was none too gentle and Naruto was glad to be discharged. He and Sandal me walked side by side through the stark hallway. Everyone they passed shot a hateful look at Naruto, but were afraid to do anything more in the Hokage's presence.

After a half and hour of walking silently, they arrived at Naruto's apartment. Naruto walked forward and pushed the door open; he had realized long ago that if he latched it, vandals would just break in or smash a window to get in. Sandaime frowned when he saw the state of Naruto's apartment.

It had obviously been attacked during the festival and he could only hope that whoever did it would eventually be caught. There was trash strewn all over the floor, and the furniture was broken. The windows were smashed in, along with all of his possessions. His rather large collection of books was a pile of ash on the floor. Across the walls were the words "Demon," "Monster," and "Die, Kyuubi."

He decided to send someone to help him clean up the next day. He followed the young blonde to the kitchen where he watched the child put two cups of instant ramen on the counter and start boiling water. He could tell that something was bothering Naruto, even if he tried to hide it. He was trying to think of a way to start a conversation when an idea came to him.

"Naruto, I managed to retrieve this for you. I was going to give it to you in the hospital, but I forgot about it." He pulled a small, relatively thick book out of his pocket and handed it to Naruto.

It was the same book he had dropped when he was attacked. The pages were a little dirty but not hard to read. Naruto smiled and laid it on the counter so he could add the water to the noodles. They ate, Naruto quietly, while Sarutobi told him what had happened in the past few days. Sandaime was standing in the doorway when Naruto suddenly asked him, "What happened to the people who attacked me?"

Sarutobi looked a little surprised, but answered him anyway.

"When the ANBU squad and I showed up, most of them ran, but we managed to catch the three who started it. They have been taken care of. You don't have to worry about them, Naruto."

The blonde looked like he wanted to say something else, but settled for "Thanks. Good-bye, Old Man."  
Sarutobi nodded and walked out of the apartment, quietly closing the door behind him. Naruto walked into the kitchen and noticed the book lying on the counter. He stared blankly at it before grabbing it and throwing it in the trash as hard as he could. As he walked out of the room and turned the light off, the moonlight fell on the cover and illuminated the title: "The Yellow Flash of Konoha: A Hero's Story".


	3. Runaway

_**Title: **__Dreaming of Freedom_

_**Chapter 3:**__ Runaway - Linkin Park _

_**Genre: **__General/Angst_

_**Warnings: **__Mild Sakura and Kakashi bashing, major Sasuke bashing, slight language, slight violence, strong, smart Naruto, nice, fem Kyuubi, _

_**Rating:**__ T_

_**Pairings: **__None_

_**Summary: **__All Naruto wants is freedom. It's his reason for becoming a shinobi. But when his dream is destroyed he decides to drop his mask and show Konoha the true Uzumaki Naruto. The entire time Sound and Akatsuki are moving closer and closer. Will Naruto put aside his own problems and help save Konoha or stand by as they're destroyed?_

"_asdfjkl;"__is talking_

'_asdfjkl;'__is thinking_

"_**asdfjkl;**__"is Kyuubi/Inner Sakura talking_

"_asdfjkl;_" is Naruto/Sakura speaking in his/her mind.

_**00000000**_ means a scene change or time skip

_**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_ The sun was just beginning to rise over Konoha; rays of light were seeping into the bedrooms and waking their slumbering occupants. The entire village was quiet, except in one small apartment where a blond seven-year-old was waking up.

"Ow! What was that?" Naruto landed on his backside after jumping out of bed.

"**Sorry, kit. You said you wanted a wake-up call and this is the only way I can get you up. You're a very heavy sleeper. I ended up forcing a bit of my chakra into you."**

Still grumbling and rubbing his backside Naruto walked into his small kitchen and began preparing ramen. He didn't like it to begin with and after eating it for several years he absolutely hated it, but it was cheap, lasted forever, and was easy to make. While he waited for the water to boil he brushed his teeth. He was a little nervous about what he was going to do today.

After several days of thinking and talking with Kyuubi Naruto had finally come to the conclusion that he wasn't ever going to be happy in the village. He wanted to leave but knew Sandaime wouldn't let him, defenseless as he was. On the other hand, if he became strong enough to defend himself they would label him a threat and send hunter-nin after him. He would have to find a way to leave with Sandaime's permission. He was going to make a deal so that he could get free travel rights once he was strong enough to defend himself. With Kyuubi's training, which he had decided to accept, it wouldn't take long.

He finished eating and got dressed in his usual black shorts and white shirt. He walked with his head down so no one could see his smile. He thought it was funny how ignorant they were. It was usually depressing to walk anywhere because their glares made him feel something was wrong with him, but now that he knew it wasn't him that was a

monster he was happy.

Eventually he reached the Hokage building. He was almost past the secretary when she stopped him. "Where are _you_ going?"

I have to see the old man. It's something important."

'He's in a meeting right now.besises he doesn't have time for a little demon like you.."

He gave me permission to come in whenever I want, and I know for a fact he doesn't have any meetings until nine.. That's over two hours from now."

Naruto continued to the office while the secretary glared daggers at his back. As he expected, Sarutobi was signing papers when he walked into the office. He was still mad about everyone keeping the Kyuubi secret from him but he understood why the Hokage had done it. The third looked up and smiled fondly when he saw Naruto.

" What brings you to my office this early, Naruto. I would've expected you to still be asleep."

"I need to talk to you about the Kyuubi."

Sarutobi looked surprised for a moment but quickly his it behind a mask of caution.

"How do you know about him? How can I be sure that you're not him?"

"I found out while I was unconscious after the attack. I met her and she told me that she was sorry for attacking the village and ruining my life. She offered to train me and I decided to accept her offer." He said all this in an even tone that betrayed none of the anxiety he was feeling. Sandaime watched him carefully for a few minutes, not giving any hint of what he was thinking.

"You mean to tell me that not only is the Kyuubi a girl , but she regrets what she did to us and wants to make amends by training you? How do I know she isn't tricking you so she can free herself? I don't want to , Naruto, but if I have to I will do whatever is necessary to protect Konoha." The old man's gaze left no doubt in Naruto's mind that he would carry through with his promise.

"She's not tricking me. I can feel her emotions through our mental link; if she hadn't felt sorry I would have known. Also you should stop thinking of her as a bloodthirsty monster. It's true she killed a lot of people but she had a reason. She was getting revenge on the people who tied to kill her family trying to seal them and use them as weapons."

"Naruto, what do you mean? No Konoha ninja were sent to capture demons. It looks like a renegade group of our own shinobi tried to capture the demon for their own purpose. I know it won't change anything but I would like to apologize for not stopping them. Because we weren't able to prevent the sealing, Kyuubi lost her family and we lost our Hokage along with a significant amount of villagers.

" I will allow you to train with Kyuubi, but it will have to be kept secret. I'll also expect you to report to me every week so I know everything she's teaching you if she does or says anything suspicious I'll end your training."

Naruto smiled and inwardly sighed. He hadn't thought Sandaime would agree without a fight . Of course he knew he would have to prove that he and Kyuubi could be trusted.

"thanks. I'll tell you everything that she says. I want to keep it a secret, too, but that will b e hard. I'll pretend I'm weak and loud; basically my personality will be a complete opposite of what I'm really like.

"There's something else I need to ask of you. I've been discussing my future with Kyuubi and I've come to the conclusion that I'll never be happy while I'm in the village. I want to leave, but I don't want to be a missing-nin; I would just keep my civilian status and leave but the council would send hunters after me anyway. The only way I'll be able to leave in peace is if I keep my title as a member of Konoha the same time. That way they can't try to kill me.

"I was hoping that we could make a deal so that I could travel and try to start a better life without being hunted."

"I know why you want to leave and I understand completely but I can't let you wander around on your own where anyone cold try to hurt you. There are people who want the Kyuubi's power and have no qualms about killing you to get it."

"what if I prove I can defend myself? Will you give me free travel rights then? If no one can capture me and use me against you then there will e no reason to keep me here." Naruto looked at him hopefully, desperate for a way out of the village. He would go insane if he was forced to stay there.

"Are you really that desperate to leave? Is it really so horrible to be here? What about the people who'll miss you?" Sandaime said sadly. He knew that Naruto had every reason to want to leave, but he still hoped that the blonde would change his mind. Unfortunately, the only connection keeping Naruto here was Sandaime, and they both knew that one person wasn't enough to make up for all the hatred and abuse. The only thing he could do was prepare the child so he would be able to stay alive.

" You won't be able to leave until you're at lest a chunin without becoming a missing-nin. That means you'll have to go through the ninja academy and you'll be stuck here until you're old enough to take the chunin exam in five years. I can't give you a better deal than that. If you want to tale it, I'll have a contract drawn up and you can come by to sign it tomorrow morning."

Naruto thought about it for several minutes. He knew he would have to wait a few years before he cold leave, but five years! Still, it was better than spending his whole life here. It would be dangerous for him to enroll in the ninja academy; the villagers would say he wanted to become stronger to finish destroying the village. He would have to make them think he was weak as a ninja, even more so than before.

"I'll take it."

"Good. Just remember to keep me informed about what you're doing. Now, if that's all you wanted to talk about, I need to get back to my paperwork. I'll have the papers tomorrow afternoon. "

"Thanks, old man. I'll see you tomorrow." With that Naruto walked out the door, smiling sincerely for the first time in months.

"_So how do you think it went? I thought he would refuse and I'd have to become a missing-nin."_

"**It went better than I expected. It's obvious he wants you to stay, but he realizes you're better off leaving. We'll start your training tomorrow after you stop by his office. Enjoy sleeping in, Kit, because it's the last chance you'll get for years."**

Naruto didn't reply and instead returned to his apartment. Once he was there he sat down with the book he'd bought yesterday. His love of reading came mostly from the fact that he was always alone. He didn't have many ways to entertain himself so he began reading. He was just starting to get used to having someone to talk to whenever he wanted. After all, it had only been about two days since Kyuubi had used her chakra to form a mental link between them that allowed them to talk with Naruto having to go into his mindscape.

He read his book until night fell, and then he decided to go for a walk in the forest. He managed to stick to the shadows so no one would see him. He was halfway there when he noticed a store with some weirdly-shaped objects in the window. When he got closer he saw that they had strings on them. He jumped when a young women with snow-white hair and glowing white eyes opened the door. She saw him and walked over to stand next to him.

"I see you're interested in this guitar. Were you looking, or would you like to come in and buy something?" Her tone was soft and gentle, like what he pictured a mother to be like. He had tensed when she began to walk towards him, ready to run if need be, but he relaxed as he saw that she wasn't going to hurt him. He was still alert and prepared for any sign of danger, having been tricked by many people into trusting them, only to have them try to kill him.

"What's a guitar?"

"It's a type of instrument. It's very popular in my native land. I wanted to leave, so I opened a music store and decided to sell guitars. Hopefully they'll become more popular now."

"It sounds interesting. Can you play it?"

"Yes. I also play piano, drums, bass guitar, violin, and the flute. Music is very important where I'm from."

Naruto stared wistfully at the display. He had always wanted to play an instrument because it was a great way to let out any pent-up emotions. Unfortunately, he didn't know anyone who could teach him, and he couldn't even afford the instruments to begin with.

"Would you like to learn how to play? I could teach you." The woman's voice broke through his thoughts. He looked at her in surprise, then his eyes narrowed as he studied her, looking for any ulterior motives. She must have sensed his uneasiness because she smiled slightly and said, "It's fine if you're not interested. I just wanted to offer because you look like you could be a great musician. I want to help as many people as possible discover how wonderful music can be."

"I can't pay you."

"Didn't you hear what I just said? I don't care about money; I just want to spread music across this village, and eventually further. Besides, I'm doing well enough that I can afford to give free lessons. In fact, you can even have any guitar you want as long as you agree to keep learning and practicing."

Naruto was shocked at her generosity. He wasn't used to being treated like a human being, let alone with such kindness! He was still slightly suspicious, but she had an air about her that calmed those near her and made you want to trust her.

"I guess I can try it and see if I want to learn how to play. I'll wait until I'm sure before I consider getting a guitar. Before we do anything, would you mind telling me your name? My name is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was so happy that I forgot my manners. My name is Tsuki."

"_It definitely suits her. She looks like the moon in human form."_

"**I agree. She's very pretty, but there's something off about her. I feel like I've met her, but I know I haven't. I think you can trust her, but you should keep an eye out in case anything happens. As for the instrument, I think it would be a good idea. It'll help your eye-hand coordination and memory, and it'll keep your emotions from building up until you snap. As long as she's willing to teach you, I want you to learn."**

"_Are you sure?"_

"**Consider it part of your training. You have plenty of free time, and you're always looking for ways to pass the time."**

"Fine. I'll learn how to play, but I won't be able to come until later in the day."

"That works for me, actually. I close at about 6:00 so you can come by then and practice. Any later and you might not get home until midnight."

"Good. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then, unless you want to start next week or something."

"How about you come by next Friday instead. I'm busy right now because all the students have the week off from school, and they're putting in orders. I'm barely keeping up with them. By then I'll be ready, and that way you won't have to stay up late on a school night."

Naruto nodded and Tsuki smiled at him before turning to go back into the shop.

"'Night, Naruto-kun. Make sure you don't stay out too late. This village is dangerous at night."

Naruto stared after her for several minutes while he tried to figure out just what she meant. He wasn't sure if it was meant to be a threat or a warning. He finally turned back towards his apartment and decided to skip his walk. He had a lot to think about.

When he finally got home the only thing he did before climbing into bed was change his clothes. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He heard a faint "good night" from Kyuubi before he slipped into unconsciousness.

_**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

The next day Naruto woke up before Kyuubi had a chance to shock him awake. He quickly ate, dressed, and brushed his teeth. On the way out he made sure to latch his door, a habit he didn't really have any reason to continue as most people broke in anyway. He had made sure to wake up early enough that most people would still be asleep to avoid any problems.

He rushed to the Hokage's office without even bothering to tell the secretary. He asked Kyuubi to mask his chakra and moved quietly towards the doors. He stopped in front of them and crouched slightly before jumping through the doors and throwing himself at Sandaime. The old man jumped and nearly fell out of his chair.

"Naruto, what was that about? You could have given me a heart attack."

Said blonde managed to choke out a "Sorry, old man" before he was so overcome by laughter that he could not breathe properly. He finally regained control of himself and dropped into one of the oversized chairs to look at Sarutobi across his desk.

"So, do you have the papers? I need to get this done as soon as possible so I can start my first day of training with Kyuu-chan." He could sense Kyuubi's amusement at the Hokage's reaction to her nickname. As much as he cared for Sarutobi, he was still slightly bitter about his keeping Kyuubi a secret, and he wanted to get a little revenge.

When he first found out about Kyuubi, he wanted to leave the village and train so he could eventually destroy Konoha. Luckily, Kyuubi had talked him out of it by reminding him that it was to his advantage not to. If he did destroy Konoha, Ninja would constantly hunt him, whether to kill him, enlist him as an ally, or challenge him to test their strength. Also, once he got tired of traveling and wanted to rest without being in danger of enemy ninja attacks, he would be able to use Konoha as a sanctuary. So Naruto had realized that it would be easier to leave Konoha and keep it as a fallback.

"The papers are ready. You can read them over if you want, but I assure you that everything is in there." He picked up a scroll that had been placed on the corner of his desk and handed it to Naruto. The young blonde quickly opened it and read it through to make sure everything was in order. It said that he would be granted travel rights once he reached the rank of chunin at age twelve. It went on to say that the offer was to be carried out by the then-Hokage, so the council couldn't try to make him a missing ninja by saying the offer ended with Sarutobi's death if there was a new Hokage. It stated that he would still be a ninja of Konoha unless he did something against the village that clearly proved he was against them.

He cut his finger with his tooth and signed his name on the designated line in blood before handing it to Sandaime to do the same. It wasn't unheard of for shinobi officials to sign important papers in blood. To break an agreement signed in blood was to be labeled as dishonorable and untrustworthy. By signing in blood Naruto was ensuring that Sarutobi couldn't back out without risking any credit he had. The old man looked at it for a few seconds before following suit. He let the "ink" dry before closing it and putting it in a safe in his wall.

"I'll keep it here so it won't be misplaced or destroyed. I can't give you the combination or the unlocking jutsu, but the Hokage always knows it, so even if I'm not around the Hokage will be able to open it."

"Thanks, old man. The villagers would probably burn it if they got their hands on it. Now, if you don't mind, I need to start training."

"I'll expect you later to tell me what you did. Goodbye, Naruto, and be careful." He stressed his last words. "The only reason I'm not coming with you is because I trust your judgment, and I have too much work."

The blonde just gave a small smile and turned to walk out the door. "See you later, old man."

As soon as the door closed several masked figures appeared.

"Watch him closely. If you see anything happening, stop him and come to me immediately."

"Hai, Hokage-Sama," they said in unison before flickering out of sight.

_**000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000**_

Naruto finally emerged into the training area. It was a large clearing with a small waterfall and some large rocks. The trees were thick and tall.

"_What do I do first?"_

"**Right now we need to get you into shape. We'll work on your body. Once you're fit enough and your chakra reserves have been increased, we'll work on taijutsu and chakra control. Once you've mastered the several taijutsu forms I'll teach you, you can move on to weapons, and your coordination, strength, speed and flexibility will be enough for keep you from hurting yourself. You'll also start to learn ninjutsu, and because you'll have perfect chakra control you'll be able to learn and use genjutsu much more effectively. After that is done you'll be done. I'm going to give you some weights now, using a jutsu to help build muscle. We'll have to rush everything because you'll only have five years to master all this.**

"**Now, I want 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 2 laps around the village, 300 each of kicks and punches with each arm and leg. Then you can swim 10 laps around the pond to relax. By then it'll be time to go home and sleep. Oh, by the way, you won't have time to eat breakfast or lunch anymore."**

Naruto just groaned and moved to begin, suddenly falling when his limbs became ten pounds heavier each.

And so it began.


	4. Perfect World

**Title: **Dreaming of Freedom

**Chapter 4:** Perfect World- Simple Plan

**Genre: **General/Angst

**Warnings: **Mild Sakura and Kakashi bashing, major Sasuke bashing(but with a reason, not just mindless), slight language, slight violence, strong, smart Naruto, nice, fem Kyuubi,

**Rating:** T

**Pairings: ** None

**Summary: **All Naruto wants is freedom. It's his reason for becoming a shinobi. But when his dream is destroyed he decides to drop his mask and show Konoha the true Uzumaki Naruto. The entire time Sound and Akatsuki are moving closer and closer. Will Naruto put aside his own problems and help save Konoha or stand by as they're destroyed?

**AN: I do not own the lyrics in this chapter. Simple Plan does. Sorry it took so long but I've been out of inspiration for a while. I finally managed to finish this. Fortunately it's about twice as long as the last few chapters. Please keep in mind that while it may seem Naruto is becoming super powered he has yet to master his powers and he does have weaknesses. Not to mention his enemies will be stronger. Also this fic is supposed to focus on his emotional development as he faces life's challenges, not just his powers. **

"asdfjkl;"is talking

'asdfjkl;'is thinking

"**asdfjkl;**"is Kyuubi/Inner Sakura talking

"_asdfjkl;_" is Naruto/Sakura speaking in his/her mind.

_Asdfjkl; _is song lyrics

_**00000000**_ means a scene change or time skip

Naruto sighed as he unlocked the door of his apartment and trudged inside. It had been five years since he had begun training with Kyuubi and the day of his release from the hellhole known as Konoha was getting closer. He had started the academy soon after he had finalized his deal with Sandaime and could have graduated three years ago. However, he decided it would be best to stay in the academy.

First of all, it helped his mask. Every time he failed the test it made him look weaker. He had started to make himself seem weak after he began training so no one would suspect anything. He bought a neon orange jumpsuit and was always yelling and acting clumsy. He didn't have to act obnoxious but he did it anyway to get revenge on the villagers. Besides, his pranks were good practice for setting traps and helped his ninja skills, as did running from the ANBU afterwards.

Second, he couldn't become a chunin until he was twelve because of the law passed after the Uchiha massacre.**(AN: students cannot graduate until the age of twelve. This is to prevent another Itachi from happening.) ** Kyuubi and he both believed it would be better for him to stay an academy student until he could become a chunin than to be put on a genin squad. In a genin cell he would be too busy training with his team in subjects he had already mastered to continue training with Kyuubi. As a student he could skip class to train, and even when he was in class he could listen to Kyuubi while she explained a complex jutsu to him or sometimes go into the cage with her to spar or learn a new kata.

Although at first his training had been hard, it had paid off. He had increased his number of kicks, punches, and laps every week along with his weights until Kyuubi deemed him fit enough. Then he began learning taijutsu and mastered around five forms, including one that Kyuubi developed herself. He had perfect chakra control and knew around 150 jutsus, ranging from E to SS rank. He had dabbled in every weapon he could find but his favorites were a staff with blades in the ends, a pair of sai, and a scythe with a chain attached to the handle. Out of these the weapon he most commonly used was the pair of sai. He preferred to focus on speed and the sai were perfect for slipping in behind an enemy and slitting their throat before they could react. However, unlike a kunai, if they did manage to avoid the initial attack he could use the sai to easily block and defend himself.

During all this he and Kyuubi had become close. She treated him like she would her kit and he treated her like the mother he never had. Sandaime had ben worried at first, but eventually came to see Kyuubi as a trusted ally, if not a friend. Unfortunately, there was no way could talk to him in person. Naruto was the only person who would ever be able to talk to Kyuubi.

He collapsed onto his bed and picked his guitar up from where it was propped against the wall. He had learned how to play the guitar, flute, and violin from Tsuki. He had planned to learn more instruments but was too busy with training. He had become as close to Tsuki as he was to Kyuubi. She was like an older sister.

He'd even told her about Kyuubi and his deal with Sandaime. She had told him that she knew he was the container of Kyuubi the first time she saw him, and was glad to hear that he was on good terms with the demon inside him. She hated the one inside her because he used to mentally torture her with nightmares and constantly mocked her. She had forcibly merged with him to save her sanity and then ran to Konoha, where she had opened her store.

She had showed him her true form, which looked like her normal self, but with white wolf ears, and seven wolf tails. **(AN: I know this isn't right for canon but it's my story so the seven tail is a wolf and was sealed inside Tsuki.)** Her nails and canines had also lengthened. Her fur and hair contrasted well with the black pants and long-sleeve shirt she always wore.

He had decided he liked the guitar by his second lesson. He had begun writing songs by the age of ten. Kyuubi had been right when she said it would help him vent his feelings. Of course, no one but Sarutobi, Tsuki, and he knew about his talents because it would go against his mask. He opened the drawer of his nightstand and dug for a guitar pick. He strummed a few chords without rally thinking about it. He stopped and looked at the calendar. It was only about a week until the genin exam and he planned to pass it this time.

"**Kit, can you come here? I really need to talk to you."**

"_Of Course, Kaa-san."_

He set his guitar down and lay on the bed. Then he slowed his breathing and cleared his mind until he found himself in front of Kyuubi's cage. He slipped through the bars and settled against her side. She instinctively wrapped her tails around him and laid her head by his body.

"**Kit, do you still want to know who your parents are? I could tell you your father's name, but I don't know your mother's as she left after your father's death. Before you answer I want you to think carefully. This is a big decision and it could change you, for better or for worse. **

"_I want to know."_

"**Are you sure?" **Naruto nodded. **"Your father was the man who sealed me inside of you."**

"_I'm the fourth's son after all then. I always suspected it but I kept telling myself I was wrong."_

"**I'm sorry , kit. I know it hurts to realize that your father is the same person who ruined your life. I also know you've hated him since you met me but you have to remember that he did what he did for the good of the village. Besides, would you rather have someone else go through this pain?" **

"_At least they would have a family to help them. They wouldn't have to suffer through everything alone." _

"**You're not alone, Naruto. You have me, Tsuki, and Sarutobi."**

"_I guess you're right. But I can't forgive him for ruining my life, even if he is my father." _

"**I understand. There's something else I need to talk to you about. It's the reason that I decided to tell you about your parents today. I've explained to you before that the seal takes my chakra and converts it to human chakra before adding it to your system. The problem is that once all my chakra has been completely drained I'll o longer be able to hold myself together. In simpler terms I'll die." **

"_What? You can't die! You're my family, you can't leave me." _

"**Kit, listen to me." **Kyuubi said in a gentle but firm tone. **"I wish I wasn't true but it is and there's no way around it. The only ting I can do is try to help you with my death. Do you remember when Tsuki explained to us how she merged with Nanabi?" **Naruto nodded, not liking where the conversation was going. **"Well, I've decided that you and I should merge. Before you say anything consider this: If I don't merge with you then the seal will continue to weaken me until I eventually die. All you'll get from me is a large amount of human chakra. **

**The other option is for s to merge. I'll still die, but that fact is inevitable. At least this way it will be quick and painless instead of me getting gradually weaker over several years. Also you won't just get a large amount of human chakra. Instead you'll get a near unlimited amount of demonic chakra. When my chakra goes trough the seal about half of it is destroyed. Originally you would only have gotten half of my chakra. This way you get it all and it will be demon chakra, meaning it will be more potent than human chakra. Jutsus will only require about a third of the chakra they would if human chakra was used. **

**On top of all that, you'll get my demonic kekkei genkai. I can control fire, and I have a doujutsu known as the Kagegan. You'll inherit these along with the title of Nidaime Kyuubi. **

Naruto stared at her sadly.

"_Are you sure there's no other way? I would like to get all those abilities but I don't want to lose you."_

"**I know. I don't want to die either, but this is the best choice. I'm going to die anyway, but at least this way I have the comfort of knowing that I'm helping you."**

He hung his head as tears started to fall from his eyes.

"_Okay. When are we going to do this?"_

"**We'll do it tonight. I'll put you into a deep sleep so the transformation won't cause you any pain. Just remember that you'll need to practice all your jutsus before the exam to get used to your new chakra."**

"_I will. Good-bye, Kaa-san. I love you."_

"**Naruto-kun, remember that even if I'm gone you have people who care about you. You can ask Tsuki to help you control your powers; she had to master the same powers when she became a demon. Be careful. There are people after my powers who will stop at nothing to obtain them. And most importantly, never forget that you are my kit and I love you."**

With a nod Naruto returned to the real world and got up to make his dinner. He ate slowly and then tugged off the hated orange jumpsuit until he was just wearing his black boxers and t-shirt. He tried to stall so he wouldn't have to go to sleep, but eventually gave up and fell asleep, all the while soaking his pillow with the tears he cried.

When he woke up the next morning the first thing he did was curl up against his pillow and cry. He finally stopped and stood up to go to the bathroom but stumbled when he accidentally stepped on one of his tails. Wail…tails! He ran to the bathroom and skidded to a stop in front of the mirror. He stared at his reflection in shock.

His hair was an inch or so longer and was blood red. He had two blood red fox ears on top of his head; his human ears were gone. Behind him wee 9 crimson tails weaving in and out of each other in a complex pattern.

The whisker marks on his face were gone. They had marked him as Kyuubi's container, but he was no longer the container. Now he was the Kyuubi himself. His canines and nails were longer and razor-sharp. He was also taller and slightly larger. He could feel that his muscles and bones were denser and knew he was faster and stronger.

The most shocking change, however, was his eyes. They were red and slitted. They seemed to glow and hints of other colors could be seen in them, almost like red opals. They looked just like Tsuki's eyes but they were red instead of white.

Once he had adjusted to his new image as best he could he undressed and took a shower. It was difficult to wash himself without cutting himself on his newly acquired claws but he managed. After he finished he redressed and sat on his bed. He tried to decide what to do next. He knew he would have to see the Old Man and tell him what happened, and he also wanted to ask Tsuki if she would help him with his new powers. He had to hurry so he could be ready for the genin exams that were coming up. He needed to relearn the necessary amounts of chakra for all his jutsu.

But first he decided to take a little time for himself and write to help him feel better. He pulled out a battered notebook with loose papers sticking out and opened to a blank page. He paused with a pen in his hand and thought for a moment before setting pen to paper and beginning.

_I never could've seen this far_

_I never could've seen this coming_

_It seems like my world's falling apart_

_Why is everything so hard_

_I don't think that I can deal with the things you said _

_They just won't go away_

Resolving to finish the song later he closed the notebook and placed it in a drawer in his nightstand. He felt slightly better after letting some of his grief out, but he still felt empty. He was used to Kyuubi talking to him in the morning, and it felt odd to be alone. It reminded him of the way he was before he met her. But this time he wasn't alone. He still had people who cared about him.

Feeling somewhat comforted by the thought, he decided to skip the academy and visit Tsuki instead, with a detour to the Hokage's office. He decided to disguise his new appearance using an almost unnoticeable genjutsu. Once he looked like his human self he set off for the Old Man's office. He took a route through the rooftops as he didn't feel like dealing with the glares of the villager's. He would probably end up killing anyone who said anything about him.

A few minutes later, Naruto found himself in front of the Hokage's office and quietly opened the door. The elderly shinobi was currently busy reading a thick stack of papers in front of him. He looked up as he heard Naruto clear his throat.

"Naruto, what brings you here?"

"Old man, I need to tell you something, but I want you to promise you won't overreact. I'm fine and still the same person I was before." When he heard the hesitant tone of Naruto's voice he immediately sat up straight and his aura took on an edge of seriousness.

"You know the seal was designed to eventually destroy Kaa-san, right? Well, she decided that if she was going to die then she could at least help me out in the process. Last night we merged together. This way instead of her dying a slow, painful death and me only receiving half her power, I can receive all her abilities and she dies quickly and painlessly. I'm still Uzumaki Naruto, I'm just also the Nidaime Kyuubi."

"So she's … gone?"

Naruto nodded, a solemn expression on his face.

"And you have all her strength and powers?"

Naruto nodded again.

"I guessed there's nothing I can do about it if it's already happened. Tell me, has your appearance not changed or are you using a genjutsu to hide it?"

It's changed. Right now I'm using a genjutsu to hide my appearance. If anyone found out they would alert the council and have me executed. Then there would be a fight and it wouldn't be pretty."

"Well, is there anything else you need to tell me?" the Third asked, sincerely hoping there wasn't. His heart could only handle so many shocks in one day.

"No. Just what I've already told you and the fact that this means I'll definitely be free after the chunin exams."

Sarutobi sighed. "So you still want to leave once you become a chunin? I was hoping you would decide to stay for the people who will miss you."

"Sorry, but I only have two people whom I can totally trust, and two people isn't enough to make up for all the pain I feel here. We've had this discussion before, Old Man. Now that I've merged with Kyuubi it's even more dangerous for me to stay here."

" I can hope, can't I? If that's all you have to tell me then you should go. I have work to do and you probably want to see Tsuki. I won't make you go to the academy considering what happened."

Thanks, Old Man. I'll be back soon to give you an overview of my abilities. Right now I want to tell Tsuki-nee-chan." Naruto began to walk towards the door but stopped when Sarutobi spoke.

"Naruto, will you be o.k.? I know how close you were to Kyuubi. If you need to talk you can always come to me and I'll try to help you any way I can."

"I'll be fine. I just need time to adjust. I'm used to always having her to talk to and it feel weird to be alone again. Even if I can talk to you it's not the same as having Kaa-san there 24/7. She was always there and understood me better than anyone else because she experienced my entire life with me. Also, I have to get used to my new body and abilities. Give me a week and I'll be mostly back to normal. "

With that he left the room and shut the door quietly behind him. He hurried out of the building and began the trek towards Tsuki's store. His parting words to Sarutobi had reminded him of how alone he felt without Kyuubi there. He needed to see Tsuki, _**now.**_ He ignored the complaints of the people he bumped into; as far as he was concerned they didn't deserve any apologies. Naruto soon found himself inside Fire and Ice, Tsuki's store. When Naruto had asked, her explanation for the strange title was that it described the dual nature of music. It could be full of passion and energy and emotion, causing the emotions of the listener to be increased, or it could be completely relaxed and calm, soothing the emotions of the listener. Naruto hadn't understood at the time but as he continued his lessons from Tsuki he began to realize what she meant.

Naruto quietly opened the door and moved to the back room where he found Tsuki sitting with a young boy at a piano. The boy had emerald green hair and pale, icy blue eyes; he was around six or seven. He waited until the child finished his song to reveal his presence. The kid nearly jumped when he noticed that Naruto was there and the former demon-vessel was glad he had waited to drop his henge. He did not need a kid freaking out after seeing his demon form.

"You can leave now, Ryuu. Come back the day after tomorrow at eleven in the morning and we'll continue." Tsuki smiled gently at Ryuu as he nodded and muttered a quick 'hai, Tsuki-sensei' before making a hurried exit. Naruto looked on amusedly before turning back to Tsuki after his departure.

She merely raised a delicate eyebrow. She knew something was wrong but wouldn't push him. That was one of the things her liked about her. She wouldn't force you to tell her anything; instead she would wait for you to come to her.

She never mentioned her past except to tell him about Nanabi. He knew she must have had a life similar to his own, and, although it saddened him, was relieved that she could understand him so well. She was kind and gentle to every one she met, especially children. She never raised her voice or got angry and was always willing to help others, never taking but always giving. She seemed strong, but Naruto knew how vulnerable she really was. There was always sadness in her eyes, no matter how she tried to hide it. Also, despite her kindness, she never really told anyone about herself and was oddly adverse to physical contact. Naruto only noticed these things because he was around her so much.

Since the night they met five years ago they had begun to visit each other regularly until it got to the point that they didn't go more than a day without seeing each other. He was surprised to find out she was only fifteen when they met but had already left her home village and opened a very successful business. She didn't sell as many instruments as she would have liked but she more than made up for it by teaching others how to play the instruments they bought.

"Do you need to tell me about something, otouto?" she asked.

In response he released his henge. When she saw his true form, the wolf bijuu immediately embraced him. He stood in her arms for several minutes, basking in the comfort she offered him. Finally he moved away and regained his composure.

"When did it happen?"

"We merged last night. She didn't tell me until I got home from the academy. I guess she didn't want to have me stressing out about it for too long so she told me right before it happened. I told the old man on my way here and his reaction was better than I expected. He didn't try to change the deal or have a heart attack, so I guess it actually went pretty well."

"I wouldn't expect him to try to change the deal. He is a noble man and truly wants you to be happy. As for the heart attack, let's just count ourselves lucky. Now why don't you tell me about you new powers and I'll see if I can help you with any of them."

"Kaa-san said that I would gain the ability to use fire and something called the Kagegan. I also gain a near limitless amount of youki."

"That's basically what I gained from merging with my demon, except I can use lightning instead of fire. Luckily I also have the Kagegan, so I can help you with that. I can show you the basics of controlling an element. For anything after that I'm afraid you're on your own." Tsuki explained. She had explained before that despite her chosen profession she knew how to fight. She had trained her demonic abilities and learned several taijutsu styles as she traveled before settling in Konoha. She also learned a few water jutsu to complement her lightning mastery and mastered several weapons

"That's more than enough. I just need someone to get me started. I think we should start with the youki though since I'll need to be able to use jutsu for the genin test."

Tsuki smiled slightly. "Perfect. Speaking of the Genin test, who do you want to be on your team?"

"As long as it's not that Uchiha bastard I'll be fine with almost anyone." Everyone knew of the longstanding hatred between Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha. Most looked down on Naruto for daring to dislike the Last Loyal Uchiha, but no one was too worried as they were unaware of Naruto's power and the level of hatred he held for the other boy. Of course he had every reason to hate the boy. Not only was he a cold, arrogant bastard, but he also ignored all the attention and love the entire village gave him. To Naruto this was particularly offensive as he had always strived for those things until he met Tsuki and Kyuubi. Then there was the pain his clan caused with their failed plan twelve years ago, when they tried to seal Kyuubi's kits and mate into one of their newborn children to harness the kitsunes' power. Normally Naruto wouldn't hold his clan's actions against him as he had no control over them, and if there was one thing Naruto hated it was people who hated someone for something they couldn't control. But Sasuke seemed to be just as arrogant and power-hungry as the rest of his clan had been. If anything he was worse.

"I'm sure it will be okay. If you really want to stay off his team, you can ask Hokage-sama to keep you and him on separate cells. I'm sure you'd understand once you told him about the botched sealing. He knows how much you care about Kaa-san."

"I might just do that. There's something else I wanted to tell you, something the old man doesn't know that I know. It's another secret that's been kept from me all my life, until Kaa-san told me last night. I'm losing my trust in the old man day by day." He sighed. "I'm getting tired of everyone lying to and manipulating me. I just want it to stop. That's why I can't stay here, surrounded by lies and hatred. "

"That's why I left my home village. Now tell me what 's upset you so much." Tsuki said as she led him to the stairs in the corner of the room. Her apartment was above the shop where she could always be close to the instruments she loved. When they were standing in her living room, she sat him down on the couch before going to fix some tea. Naruto waited until she was sitting across from him to begin explaining what he had learned.

"It's … about my parents. She told me that my father was the Yondaime, and also that my mother didn't die. She left after found out about the sealing."

Tsuki sipped her tea while she considered what he said. She wasn't surprised he was the Fourth's son; they looked too much alike to be a coincidence. Naruto had long suspected their relationship so that wasn't what was bothering him. No, his problem was finding out about his mother's abandonment. She watched him as he stared into his cup. She recognized that look in his eyes; she saw it every time she looked in the mirror. She knew what a mother's abandonment felt like and she was used to it. Naruto, however, was not.

"I'm sure she had a good reason. No mother would willingly abandon their child." The lie slipped easily from her lips. She was such a good actress that no one could tell when she was lying, sometimes not even herself. "Are you going to look for her?" Tsuki asked.

"I don't know yet. I'm angry that she left me, and I want to hate her, but at the same time I want to forget her like she forgot me and move on with my life. I know seeing her will just bring up bad memories for both of us. I might try to find her in a few years but right now I have another goal in mind." He didn't look up from the cup in his hands but she could see the confusion in his posture.

"A wise decision, otouto. You should sort out your feelings before you seek her out. Otherwise, you'll both end up hurt. Believe me. I know how it feels to miss your mother, but waiting is the best option. If you need advice or someone to talk to, you're always welcome here."

Naruto looked at her strangely. He had never heard her talk about her mother and had assumed Tsuki didn't remember her. Apparently, she had abandoned Tsuki like his mother had abandoned him. "It doesn't matter. We'll be each other's family; we don't need anybody else." He said determinedly. She smiled, a genuine one, and nodded her head.

"If you want, I'll help you find her when the time comes. I may not be an official shinobi but I am a demon, and a strong one at that." She put down her cup and stood saying, "Now, if you want to learn how to use your powers meet me at training field 10, six am tomorrow. Those are the grounds I normally use. I'm going to fix lunch, do you want anything?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

He smiled at her briefly. "No thanks. I'm not really hungry right now. I'll be sure to visit for dinner, though." She nodded and walked into the kitchen to begin preparing a meal. While she ate he told her about what was happening at the academy. They had been focused o refining taijutsu for the past month, but were going to review during the coming week. This meant that Naruto would be more bored than usual, especially without Kyuubi to talk to.

At about two pm Naruto decided he should start working on using his more basic jutsu with youki, as he didn't need help on these and could only relearn them through trial and error. He said good-bye to Tsuki and left for a small clearing on the edge of Konoha that he usually trained at. He sat in the middle and began to meditate while focusing on his chakra to see how much he had. He was almost overwhelmed by the sheer amount. Before his chakra was like a lake and everyone else's a puddle; now his chakra was like an ocean.

He began with the bunshin as he had already relearned the henge. Next was kawarimi. He took them one at a time, starting with a little chakra and slowly increasing it until he got it right. He managed to master eight of his lower level jutsu by seven pm and rested for a few minutes before heading to Fire and Ice.

When he walked in Tsuki was standing at the counter replacing a string on a guitar. "How did everything go? Did you hurt yourself by overdoing a fire technique?" She looked at his hand as she asked the last question.

"Yeah." He said. "I accidentally put a little too much chakra in a Grand Fireball Technique and was caught by surprise. I managed to dodge but it grazed my fingers."

"Focus a little bit of chakra to your hand."

He did so and watched in slight surprise as the skin healed, leaving no trace of the burn. "Although most people seem to think a demon's healing is automatic, it's not true. They have to consciously channel chakra to the area. It usually doesn't take much chakra to heal a wound unless it's serious, but if you were in a situation where you had no chakra left then you wouldn't be able to heal yourself. It's not much of a problem for you though." Explained Tsuki.

"I'll have to remember that. I'm used to Kaa-san doing it for me." He shook his head after a couple of seconds as if to clear his thoughts. Then he grinned largely and said " So are we going out to eat? 'Cause if we are we need to hurry before the restaurants start to close. I was thinking about Ichiraku's. I may not like ramen much, but theirs is the best I've ever had. Not to mention I haven't been there in a while."

"I haven't been there in a while either. They're probably convinced we're dead or something. Just let me finish this and we can go."

Five minutes later two figures dressed in black exited the shop, one with glowing white hair, the other with dark red hair. Naruto was hidden under a genjutsu he normally used to go around Konoha unnoticed. He was red-haired and blue-eyed, with no whisker marks. He made sure to disguise himself when he was with Tsuki to avoid causing her problems. If people knew how much time he spent with her she would be ostracized too, so he usually avoided her in his true form.

They walked for ten minutes until they saw the small stand. They sat down at their usual stools and waited for Ayame to take their orders. When she finally turned from her other customers and saw them she smiled widely before running over and hugging them both. She knew it was Naruto under the genjutsu as she was one of the few people who had been told about his way of getting around Konoha. Naruto and Tsuki both ordered miso ramen.

Before long their bowls were placed before them. After a small prayer Naruto attacked his bowl without mercy. He may not like ramen but food is food and Ichiraku's was the best ramen around, He had long ago mastered the art of eating his food as fast as humanly, or demonly, possible without choking or spilling anything. The white-haired musician looked slightly green and turned away, at the same time fighting to keep an amused grin off her face. As soon as Naruto had finished his bowl Ayame placed another one in front of him. Smiling, she said, "You look hungrier than usual. I thought you might like a second bowl, my treat. You're welcome to seconds too, Tsuki-chan. You really need to eat more or you'll get sick." She said worriedly.

Tsuki shook her head as she took a bite of her food. "I'm just small, you know that. I eat more than enough, even by his standards." She said, jerking her head in the now redhead's direction. At this the former blond gave her a heated glare. "I'll have you know I only eat so much because I'm growing. I need all the energy I can get."

"Sure. You keep telling yourself that."

"At least I'm not so thin I look like a breeze could knock me over."

Ayame just watched the pair amusedly. She was used to such banter from seeing them on a regular basis, but she still didn't understand how two people so close could fight so much. She sighed and left to serve a customer who had just walked in.

By the time the two demons left it was eight-thirty and Ichiraku's had closed. Tsuki left for home after reminding Naruto to meet her the next morning for training. Naruto opted to train for another hour or so before sitting against a tree and to meditate and catch his breath.

**AN: twelve pages in word. Hopefully it was long enough. I hope this shows y'all what the relationship between Tsuki and Naruto will be like. Also don't forget to review. Constructive criticism is accepted. One more thing: I haven't decided whether to let Haku and Zabuza live yet. If you have an opinion let me know in a review. Give me a reason for your opinion. I will save both, kill both, or save one and kill the other. **


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